


Gamble

by BirdOfHermes



Series: Under Pressure [7]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Avenger Reader (Marvel), Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Canon Divergence - Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Cell Phones, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Sex, Established Relationship, F/M, Gentle Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Love Confessions, Phone Calls & Telephones, Phone Sex, Possessive Loki (Marvel), Scars, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Verbal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-12-30 18:53:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18321203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes
Summary: You took a gamble becoming a part-time Avenger, and dating the God of Mischief. You were bound to lose eventually. Part of the "Under Pressure" Loki/Reader series.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place a few months after "Cold" in the Under Pressure series. 
> 
> And we're reaching for a different height this time in the filthy smut meter. xD

_I swear, when I grow up_  
_I will just buy you a rose_  
_I will buy the flower shop_  
_And you will never be lonely_  
_Even if the sun stopped waking up over the field_  
_I will not leave_  
_I will not leave 'til it's our time_  
_So just take my hand_  
_You know that I will never leave your side_  
_-"The Gambler" by Fun._

There were times when I thought that dating the God of Mischief wasn't the best idea I'd ever had.

By the time we landed in Berlin, Loki had texted me six times and called thrice. I'd been busy the whole time helping Sam, Steve, and Nat unload our luggage and get through customs in one piece. He tended to get clingy if I was an entire continent away from him, but not in the typical fashion. Loki had certainly gotten better living amongst the Avengers at the compound in upstate New York, but he still wasn't exactly their friend. More like a snarky teammate who played ball long enough to complete missions and then disappear until he was needed again. He certainly had hobbies, and he'd actually started developing a better relationship with Thor as of late, but I was his primary source of entertainment usually, so being away meant a fussy, bored immortal nipping at my heels via cell phone as often as possible.

Finally, once I reached my hotel room and Steve gave me the time for when we'd head out in the morning, I flopped onto my bed and called the God of Mischief back.

"Your plane landed two hours ago," Loki snarled. "You told me you would call."

"I'm calling you right now, you impatient serpent," I said with a roll of my eyes. "It's not my fault you've got separation anxiety."

"I have no such thing," he spat. "You are to call me when you land in other countries; you know this by now, girl."

"I missed the part where I'm your property."

"Deflect all you want. These agreements are in place for a reason. If something goes wrong, I need to be able to reach you as soon as possible. Therefore, prompt communication is a must."

"Oh, come on, I'm with Steve and the others. I'm as safe as can be, you worrywart."

"Not when you're about to infiltrate a Hydra nest. I have seen their weapons. It is nothing to brush off for a mortal woman, however talented she might be."

I grinned. "Aw, did you just compliment me?"

He made a disgruntled noise. "That is the part you choose to take to heart?"

"You're such a sweet honey-bunny," I cooed in my gooey girlfriend voice.

"I will rip you in half if you ever call me that again."

I chuckled. "Grumpy. Don't you have better things to do?"

"Not at the moment, no. It is late here. Everyone else has gone to bed."

"Then you should follow, Lestat."

He let out a slight snort that I knew was hiding a laugh. "I am restless at night. Not unlike a vampire."

I felt a smirk worming its way across my lips. "You are also prone to nightly activities of the sinful persuasion."

"As are you, my pet," he answered silkily. "Tell me, when is your next engagement?"

I checked my watch. "In a couple hours."

"Mmm," he sighed. "Then that should leave us plenty of time."

I adopted a bewildered look out of habit, even though he couldn't see it and I couldn't see him. "For what?"

"Darling," Loki drawled. "What are you wearing right now?"

For a few seconds, I couldn't believe my ears. "Loki...are you trying to have _phone sex_ with me?"

"I am not trying anything," he sniffed. "I cannot sleep, and you have nowhere to be right now. Therefore, what are you wearing right now?"

I palmed my entire face with one hand. "You. Are. So. _Ridiculous_."

"Are you saying you are uninterested in this endeavor, pet?"

"Completely!" I snapped. "I just had breakfast a while ago, for God's sake. It's too early for hanky panky, and especially halfway around the damned world in a hotel room right next to my freaking teammates."

"Is it merely my imagination or did we not have a marvelous time that early morning flight on the Quinjet last month?"

I blushed so hard it made me dizzy. "You just had to bring that up."

"I am merely reminding you that time is of no consequence for the purposes of pleasure," he continued, unperturbed by my clear embarrassment. "I have made love to you many a morning, if you recall."

"Yes. When we were, you know, _in the same room_. I'm not going to diddle myself to your dirty talk."

"Diddle?" he repeated, drawing out the word in such a tone that I had to bite my lip to keep from bursting into laughter. "I am afraid I am unfamiliar with this term."

I sighed. "Not the point."

"What happened to that open mind you are always telling me to have?"

"Oh, don't even try it. That is not the same thing and you know it."

"You protest, yet you know very well how much my voice affects you. You are likely jet-lagged. An orgasm will grant you peaceful sleep, will it not?"

I squirmed where I lay in my bed. Well, he wasn't wrong. Loki had noted months into our relationship that his amorous behavior wore me out and I slept like a cozy little kitten after he'd fucked my brains out at night. He made a point if he caught me on the couch with insomnia to give me an orgasm or two, and I'd be out like a light right afterward. I was seriously tired from being on Germany time and Steve had suggested we all nap to compensate so we'd be fresh while we did recon this afternoon.

"Loki," I whined. "It's embarrassing as hell."

"What is embarrassing?"

I squirmed some more on the bed, my voice lowering even more despite the fact that no one else could hear me next door. "M-Masturbating while you talk dirty to me."

"You have done it countless times upon my request, darling."

"But you were right there, so it was less...uncomfortable."

"I assure you that you will not find it as uncomfortable as you think. And, if you wish, I can project myself into the room to serve as your guide."

I shut my eyes. "Ugh, no, I think that'll just frustrate me more."

He purred my name before continuing. "You will like it. I promise."

I chewed my bottom lip. "It'll make me feel silly."

"It will make you feel good. It will make me feel good as well."

Damn him. He wasn't just the God of Mischief and Lies--he was the God of Persuasion as well. There were so many things I would never have done without his Silvertongue urging me to do them. And while I protested the whole time, they'd all been pleasurable in spite of my reticence.

"I hate you," I mumbled, my cheeks burning.

He laughed softly. "You are so very cute when you try to resist me, darling. Now be a good girl and answer my previous question."

I heaved a sigh. "I'm not even wearing anything sexy, Loki. I was on a super long international flight; I'm just wearing a sweatshirt and jeans."

"You are an attractive woman," he said severely. "You could wear a plastic trash-bag and I would still fuck you in it."

I choked on air for a second. "Well, okay then. Good to know."

"Take off the sweatshirt."

"Bossy," I muttered, but I set the phone aside and peeled it off. The room was well insulated, so it was cool and the air felt good against my skin. I'd only just gotten here, so I hadn't taken my bra off yet. "Now what?"

"Lie flat on your back."

I scooted until I was no longer propped against the headboard. "Spread your legs," he continued.

I obeyed. "Close your eyes." Again, I obeyed.

"Are your eyes closed, darling?"

"Yes."

"Good," he purred. "Unbutton your jeans."

I tried not to sigh as I popped the button open and undid the zipper. "Before you ask, I'm just wearing regular panties. Nothing fancy and lace, or crotchless or a thong. Cotton panties."

"You are divine in anything at all, pet."

My cheeks reddened. Even after all we'd done, all the fighting and fucking, he still could get me to blush like a schoolgirl with one compliment. I'd probably never get used to compliments, not with my background, but I still liked that sometimes he'd take the time to flatter me.

"Or nothing at all," he finished with a teasing lilt. "Now be a dear and slide one hand inside your jeans."

I did my best to relax on the bed and shut my eyes as my hand crept underneath the stiff material until I cupped my sex with my fingers. "Now what?"

"Are you wet?" he whispered.

I licked my lips. "Um."

"Darling...are...you...wet?"

I blushed even harder, embarrassed that it had only taken him asking to get me there. "Well, now I am."

Loki chuckled softly. "Very good. I bet it's nice and warm, isn't it? I want you to very slowly run your fingers along your cunt, above the panties, just lightly as if I would do if I were with you."

"It won't feel the same."

"Shh," he urged. "Trust me."

I bit my lip and pictured Loki above me on all fours, all pale skin and long limbs and vibrant eyes. I pictured him shirtless but with his black jeans on, the first button undone, his hair a little messy, reaching into my jeans to tease me. He would always start at my entrance, rubbing little circles over it until he felt me getting wetter, and then slide up gradually to make the rest of me just as sensitive. He would stroke over me with the utmost patience, maybe while kissing my neck or getting me out of my bra to play with my breasts.

After a minute or so, it wasn't as weird. My breathing deepened and little sounds crept out every so often as my body slowly relaxed and accepted the strange pleasantness.

"Now add soft pressure against your spot with your palm," Loki said. "Be gentle. Go slow. Just tease."

It figured that we were on opposite sides of the planet and he still felt the need to tease me. Friggin' Loki. Nevertheless, I still obeyed him and lowered my palm flat against my tummy until I felt the added bliss of stimulating my clit.

"Hmm, you're breathing faster," he noted. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"Maybe."

"That's enough. Stop."

I whined into the phone and he chuckled again. "Relax, my greedy little mortal. Now I want you to take off the jeans and the panties."

I wriggled out of them. "Now slide two of those lovely fingers inside yourself for me."

I shuddered as his voice nearly took me under a wave of anticipatory pleasure. I didn't resist moaning once my fingers slipped into me. It felt amazing, but part of me felt sad because it wasn't quite as amazing as when Loki's fingers were inside me. His fingers were so long and elegant. Despite how hard he fought with swords and daggers, he didn't have callouses often, so they were soft as well. Mine were a little on the rough side, being a brawler and using ice magic often in the field.

"Go slowly," he said. "Enjoy yourself. Enjoy that slick little cunt for me."

"Loki," I whined again, flustered at his lewdness and how much it excited me.

"Protest all you like, but I know you, darling. You're enjoying it. You're enjoying how it feels to touch yourself for me. I can almost see there on the bed. I bet you look so appetizing. Like a feast fit for a king."

I bit my lip, trying to mask another moan, but I was sure the bastard heard it. "Faster. Fuck yourself faster with those fingers, sweet girl."

"L-Loki, please."

"Keep going. That's it. Spread those legs wider. Go deeper inside that delicious little cunt."

I cried out, writhing, too caught up in his filthy suggestions to suppress it this time. Damn him. He'd gotten me worked up and now there was no way I'd be able to cut it out. "Please, Loki, I'm going to come."

"And you won't be alone, pet."

"Fuck," I groaned as my eyes rolled back from just how damned hard my fingers stroked as I thought about Loki in our bed, sweaty and turned on like mad, stroking his cock as he listened to me. "Fuck, Loki, I'm so close."

"Then don't hold back," he commanded. "Faster, darling. Harder. I want you to think of me above you, holding you down against the bed, fucking that wet little cunt until you scream for me to stop. I want you to think of how it feels when you're coming for me. I want you to think of how it feels when I release everything into you and make a mess of that pretty quim because it's mine, all mine, just like every single inch of your beautiful body."

"Loki!" My breath stole out of my lungs in a sharp gasp as I plunged over the edge into my orgasm. I rolled over onto my stomach to try and at least muffle it a bit, but all it did was give me the leverage to press down onto my fingers. I came a second time, shaking all over, my hair a tangled mess over my forehead and cheeks as the shuddering nirvana swept up and down my bare skin again and again. My head spun for a while as I lay there, panting heavily, drunk with pleasure.

Eventually, my awareness returned and I realized it hadn't just been my gasps I'd been hearing. I swept my hair out of my face and listened to the phone. Loki's panting had slowed somewhat, but I'd heard him earlier and it sent shivers racing down my naked spine to know he'd gotten off too. Neither of us said anything for a long stretch.

"So," Loki said, and even though I couldn't see him, I could practically hear the shit-eating grin he wore. "Think you can get to sleep now, darling?"

Asshole.

* * *

"Cap, they're flanking you. We've got to get to a better vantage point or they'll surround us," I said tightly into my comm-link as I bashed in another Hydra agent's head with the block of ice formed around my fist.

"I read you," he said, his voice just as strained as he front-kicked one guy into the next and spun on his heel. "Can you make your way over to me?"

I sent a blast of ice inches thick at the next four men who rushed me and then sprang over them, crashing into the next two and swinging in a semi-circle to keep the others off. "Ten yards and closing."

"We get back to back and we hit 'em hard. Get some breathing space. Then Sam will make a path to the Quinjet."

"Roger that," Nat said over the radio. "Wheels up in five, kids. Don't be late."

"Hey," Sam protested as he banked to make another pass and get ready for his part in the plan. "I don't have fuel left in my pack to fly these jokers back to New York, Red. Don't you dare leave us here."

"She can't leave us here," I said as I froze an agent's boots to the ground and then punched him out. "I'm the only one who can make those banana pancakes she likes so much."

"Damn," Nat said. "Kid has a point."

I kneed another agent and used his back to spring myself into the clearing with Cap, and automatically, he shoved his back to mine and we kept them off us.

"Inbound," Sam said. "Thirty seconds."

Steve brought up his shield as a sudden blast of energy slammed into him and shoved us both several feet through the dirt. "Can you make it three?"

"Not if you want it done right."

Steve tilted his head towards me, panting hard. That last one had taken a lot out of him. "Tank up ahead. Can you reach it from here?"

I craned my neck. "Not far enough to make a difference. Maybe if you gimme a boost, though."

He frowned. "Not the best option."

"Sam's arsenal won't make a dent in that thing. I'll block the barrel, if you can keep the mooks off until I get back."

Steve gave me a grim smile. "I'll see what I can do."

I pummeled the nearest agents so they couldn't close in on me, ran about ten steps, and then sprinted at Steve's shield. I jumped at the last second and he bounced me off into the air a good twenty feet out onto the tank. I grabbed the barrel, swung around, and landed neatly in a crouch at the end of it.

"Fire in the hole!" I shouted gleefully, and then slapped my hand down over the end. I instantly formed a chunk of ice thick enough to fill the entire barrel just before the tank tried to fire. The tank imploded on itself, the lid shooting a good fifteen feet in the air, its metal crunching apart.

"Nice!" Sam whooped. "Now get clear, Frosty. I'm coming in hot."

I jumped off the tank onto the ground.

And the second after my boots touched the dirt, a shot echoed through the forest.

And that shot hit me right in the stomach.

Someone screamed. Maybe Steve. Maybe Sam. Maybe both. Not me. Couldn't scream. It hurt too much to scream. Or to breathe. Or to stand up.

So I stopped doing all of that at once.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Frosty recovers, shit hits the fan.

The world was somehow too quiet and too loud.

Flashes. All I saw were flashes. Images. Moments.

"She's fading--"

"Come on, honey, breathe--"

"--reacting to the energy from the--"

"--ETA ten minutes--"

"--heart rate is falling--"

"--losing her--"

"--swear to God, if you don't do something right now--"

"--stabilizing--"

I woke up somewhere unfamiliar. My head was full of cotton balls. My mouth was dry. My limbs felt ten times heavier than solid steel. Couldn't move them.

Once my eyes decided to open, I could see I was in an immaculately clean hospital of some sort with cream-colored walls. The bed beneath me was surprisingly soft, which probably meant I'd been taken to a really expensive suite. I didn't see another patient; just chairs against the far wall where Sam and Nat had conked out, leaning on each other.

Movement caught my eye at the foot of the bed. Steve paced back and forth, no longer in his costume but in a leather jacket, t-shirt, and jeans. He seemed as if he'd aged a hundred years.

"You're gonna wear a hole in the floor," I croaked at him. My voice sounded like someone put it in a meat grinder and then set it on fire.

Steve glanced at me, and a flood of relief spread across his features. He smiled gently. "Hey, Frosty. How do you feel?"

I gave him a clumsy thumbs up. "Cool."

He chuckled softly and sat beside me. He squeezed my hand and I squeezed right back. He poured me a glass of water from a pitcher and let me drink for a bit before setting it aside. "How bad?"

Steve winced. "Internal bleeding. Perforated organs."

"Lovely," I said. "Just what I wanted. The gift that keeps on giving. How long was I out?"

"Twelve hours."

I shut my eyes for a second. "Fuck."

"Yeah," he agreed. "You've been out of surgery for about four hours. Everything's stable."

"They tell you when I can leave?"

Steve frowned and I rolled my eyes. "Oh, quit it and answer the question, Cap."

"I'll have them take a second look, but they won't like it if you want to leave today. Usually they want bed rest for a week or longer."

"Oh, I'm down for the bed rest. Just want to do it in my own bed."

I sighed. "And because you already know what's about to happen. The sooner we contain it, the better."

"Yeah."

I chewed my lower lip, dreading the next question, but I had to ask it. "Does he know?"

Steve took a deep breath. "No. While you were in surgery, Nat called Thor and asked if we should tell him, and Thor said to wait until you had more information. If he thought he'd lose you, there's no telling what Loki would do."

I nodded. "He won't like that one bit, but you made the right call. There's no easy way out, after all. Just the lesser evil."

I took another deep, slow breath. "Any lasting damage?"

He gave me another reassuring smile. "This is you we're talking about."

I smirked. "True."

"Some scarring. You'll be slow for a while on account of the internal injuries, but we'll know for sure once we get you back to the compound and FRIDAY has a look at you. Tony's got the best doctors in the country waiting in the wings too."

I snorted. "Oh God, he's gonna Iron Dad the hell out of me now."

Steve laughed. "Yeah, there's no escaping it this time. Sorry."

I shook my head. "This is what I get for being the team mascot. I'll never hear the end of this. And don't get me started on Thor."

Steve shook his head. "When we told him, he tried to fly here himself until Nat talked him down. And not on a plane."

"Of course not," I said, rolling my eyes. "Thor's a golden retriever and I'm his little kitten. He's going to baby me and spoil me rotten for the next six months."

I paused. "Come to think of it, maybe it's not such a bad thing. This could be very lucrative for me."

I patted Steve's hand. "Go get the doctors. Let's get the hell out of here."

He nodded, and a solemn look took over then. "I'm sorry. About all of this. I should have--"

"If you finish that sentence, I'm going to beat you to death with my I.V."

Steve blinked at me. I smiled. "Not your fault. Shit happens."

He gave me a heavy look of consideration, but then he nodded again. I could see the respect in it. He was worried, but he knew I was right. I'd signed up for this kind of shit. I could live with the consequences one way or another.

Steve then scowled at me and said in a dead serious tone, "Language."

I laughed so hard it hurt.

* * *

Tony didn't want me stuck on an international flight, even in first class, and fueled one of his private jets to bring us home. They had wisely turned my phone off not long after I'd gotten shot and I left it that way because it wouldn't make a difference at this point. Loki would know something was wrong, simply from the lack of communication. I'd been worried he'd use our connection to appear to me to find out what was wrong, but he didn't. Somehow, that made it worse.

My body ached all over, but it worsened once I could see the landing strip to the Avengers compound below from the plane window. I focused on taking slow, even breaths, but the closer we got, the more I wanted to panic. We landed and by the time we came to a stop, there was a small group gathered on the tarmac.

And Loki was there.

Shit.

Steve and Sam exited first. Natasha crouched by my seat with her best maternal look of sympathy. "Hey, killer. Ready?"

I smiled weakly. "Not even close."

"I know," she murmured. "Me neither."

She helped pull me to my feet and steadied me as we made our way down the ramp. I could walk, but not on my own, and my movements were stiff as hell. The entire center of my body operated at a constant, dull ache with sharp pain that flickered out into my limbs if I didn't take the painkillers steadily throughout the day. I didn't like painkillers much. They made me fuzzy-headed and lethargic.

My eyes fell upon my lover, the God of Mischief, and something akin to true terror, worry, and relief struck me all at once. He stood straight as a soldier, just like always, that perfect princely posture. His eyes roved over me from head to toe. I wore another unflattering sweatshirt and yoga pants since jeans would sit uncomfortably against the bottom of the wound. When I'd bathed, I'd gotten a good look at the damage, and it was far from a pretty sight. I'd been shot with a Hydra weapon, one of the older ones powered by the Tesseract. It had left an ugly set of scars across my belly from the top of my right hip to midway through my stomach. The doctors had trouble treating it, since the unnatural nature of the energy beam behaved somewhere between a bullet and a regular laser.

Natasha helped me over to him and stood back. Everyone's posture spoke volumes. They all knew what was about to go down. The only question left was how bad.

Loki lowered his lashes over those gleaming blue-green eyes, his voice deathly soft. "What happened?"

I licked my lips. "I'm okay, Loki."

"What. _Happened_."

Looking up at him hurt like hell, but I forced myself to do it anyway. Tears clogged my eyes and my voice started to waver. "When we were leaving, one of Hydra agents got a lucky shot off. Hit me in the gut. Hurt like hell, but I'm still in one piece and there shouldn't be any permanent damage since I'm not entirely human."

My fingers trembled as I reached for him and gently took his hand. He left it limp, didn't close his fingers around mine. Damn it. "I know you're angry. I would be too if I were in your position. But I didn't want you to feel helpless, so I wanted to wait until we were face to face to tell you."

For a long, painful moment, he said nothing. Just stared into me with that searing-hot gaze. Then he glanced to one side, not quite facing the members of our team but definitely indicating who he was about to address.

"Explain to me," Loki whispered, and yet the viciousness in his tone carried his voice as loud as megaphone throughout the tarmac. "Why I should not kill every single one of you for allowing this to happen to my beloved."

"Loki," I snapped, weak and barely standing, but fierce nonetheless. "This won't solve anything."

"They are the so-called Avengers," he said, his fingers twitching a knife into his hand from out of nowhere. "Tell me who will avenge them after I slaughter them all."

He whirled, and Thor rushed forward first, but I grabbed Loki's arm before he could charge. "Loki! Enough!"

He tried to shake me off, so I stepped in front of him. He stopped dead, not wanting to harm me in his haste to get to the others. "Be angry later. Help me now."

Loki's chest rose and fell rapidly, and his entire frame vibrated with rage and violence and hurt. I hadn't seen him this upset, not once, since we'd met, not even when Ebony Maw threatened my life. I'd done something to him by getting hurt. Damaged him somehow. It stung as much as my new set of scars.

"Loki," I said, touching his cheek this time. "I'm tired. Please."

No one moved for a horrifying few seconds. Loki made the dagger disappear with a flick of his fingers. He tilted his face enough to kiss my palm gently. Then he looked back out over the Avengers and snarled, "Count your blessings. This woman is the only reason the rest of you are still alive."

He scooped me up in his arms and carried me inside without another word.

I didn't ask where we were going since I already knew; he brought me into his suite and set me on the bed, propped against an entire mound of absurdly soft pillows. He straightened and said, "FRIDAY."

A tiny sensor in the ceiling flashed and then blue scanning lights roved across my body. "She has internal and external scarring, but her wounds have not reopened and there is no sign of infection."

"Long term damage?" he asked.

"Her reflexes will be slower, but given that I am unable to quantify the extent of her powers, she may make a full recovery."

"And the scars?"

"It is likely they will fade within the next five to ten years if her recuperation rate stays the same."

"Dismissed." The light vanished and the room became once again blanketed in darkness and silence.

Loki said nothing as he undressed and climbed in next to me. He pulled me against him. Nothing had changed. His pale skin still felt as smooth and cool as usual, with that undercurrent of heat and strength. He still smelled of pine and mint, and his heart beat steady and strong against my cheek.

And yet the second I was in his arms again, I completely lost it.

I cried. I cried so hard it made me shake all over. I hadn't cried this hard in years, and yet I couldn't stop myself even though I hated how weak and small it made me feel to cry in front of him.

"I'm sorry," I sobbed into his neck. "I'm so sorry, Loki."

He rubbed my back and then slid one hand up towards my neck, his lips brushing my ear. "Look at me."

I shook my head and tried to burrow deeper in the sanctity of his skin. He sighed. "Look at me, please, darling."

The "please" broke me. Loki very rarely ever said that word. I pried myself away from him enough to look up. I'd expected anger or pain to rest in his features, but I only saw a deep and selfless relief instead. He swiped his thumb across my cheekbone, smoothing tears away, his deep voice soft.

"I am not angry with you," he whispered. "Only relieved to hold you in my arms again."

"But I--"

"Shh," he said. "It is not your burden to bear this sorrow. Rest. You are safe. You are protected. And you are loved."

There was something powerful and immeasurable in his words that made the hair stand up on my arms, as if he'd run an electric current through me. Loved. I was loved. I couldn't believe he even wanted to love me, not after what I'd just put him through.

He kissed my forehead and settled his hand on my neck, his fingers caressing my nape. My eyes shut automatically. "Sleep."

And once again, the world went silent.

* * *

I woke up alone.

It took a lot of effort to pry my eyes open, but I managed. His bedroom was empty. I didn't hear the shower running. I didn't hear the coffee maker gurgling or something cooking on the stove. Maybe he'd gone into the common area to get me something.

I made painfully slow progress, but eventually reached the recreation room. However, something felt off. The team had gathered and were standing in a throng in front of the television: Tony, Natasha, Vision, Wanda, Thor, Sam, and Bruce. They turned when they heard me shuffling closer, and their blank expressions told me everything before I saw the screen.

It was the Hydra base where I'd been shot.

And it had been completely _leveled_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frosty goes looking for Loki after he wreaks havoc on the Hydra base.

I stared at the devastation. No words came to me. What could I even say?

There was nothing left but a crater and scattered, smoldering bodies. The headline read "Explosion in Berlin" and the newscaster talked about the incoming authorities as well as the emblem people recognized to be a part of the disbanded Hydra. The organization itself we had been trying to eradicate whenever we got word that there was a large number of members. We still had no leads about who led them, and it seemed that these nests were regional now. They had caught on to the fact that we could find them en masse, but breaking into smaller groups made it harder to find and put an end to it.

Apparently, Loki had decided to end it himself.

Once all the footage they had played out, it went to commercial. Steve hit the Mute button.

"Who was the last person to see Loki on the grounds?" I asked quietly.

They sent each other searching looks. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear him say it.

"I did," Thor said.

I shut my eyes. "Can we have a moment, guys?"

"Yeah," Steve said. "We're going to ops to see if we can find out where he is. He probably took the Quinjet and just disabled the tracking beacon."

They filed out of the room. I stood before the God of Thunder and leveled a look at him that I never had before. "Did you know what he was going to do?"

"Milady--" Thor began.

"Did you _know_ what he was going to do?" I asked again, louder.

Thor shut his mouth and met my gaze. He glanced aside after a moment. "Yes."

I stepped closer and caught his chin, forcing him to face me again. "Did you try to stop him?"

Thor took a deep breath. "Why are you asking me a question you already know the answer to?"

"Because I want to hear you say it," I spat. "I want you to say it out loud that you let this happen. That you let him walk out of here and ruin his chance at a peaceful future on this planet."

Thor worked his jaw. "No. I did not try to stop him."

"You selfish bastard," I snarled through my teeth.

"I will not try to act as if I am justified," Thor said, standing taller, his voice growing heated. "I am not. I was wrong for what I did."

He shut his eye. "But I love you. Dearly. As I love my brother. I could not stop him. Not when the vengeance he would loose upon them would be well-deserved."

"I don't care about vengeance, Thor. Fuck that. You just let him jeopardize everything he's worked for. If they find out Loki did this, he'll be back to being considered a war criminal and he'll have to go into hiding."

"They will not find out," Thor said. "There is no evidence, and the Hydra base is full of nothing but murderers and traitors. If they come for him, I will protect him with my life, as he is my responsibility."

"I'm not worth it!" I shouted. "I'm _one_ person, Thor! I will not be the reason why Loki is hunted again. How could you do this to him? To me?"

Tears spilled down my cheeks. Thor's expression crumbled. He reached for me and touched my cheek gently, so gently it should have been impossible for a god and a giant like him. "Because the moment Natasha called to say that you were hurt, I nearly went there and destroyed that base myself. With my bare hands. I wanted to tear them apart, limb from limb, for hurting you. The only reason I did not is because I needed to know that you had survived. Loki needed this. He needed to release that rage. If he did not, he would have killed our friends instead or returned to being on his own so that he would not have to suffer this pain again. It is better for those evil men to take that loss than to put it on the people that we care about."

"The lesser of two evils," I said. "Is that how you see it?"

"If that is what you call it, then yes. I did a selfish, awful thing. And I would do it again. For you. For anyone I care about. I swear to you that I will not let anything happen to Loki or to you. That is my price for what I have let come to pass."

He leaned down to my height and pressed his forehead to mine. "Forgive me. I may be a god, but I am just a man. And so is he."

He stroked my cheek. "I never meant to hurt you. I'd sooner die."

We stood there silently together. I was furious. But I knew he'd meant every word. He did love me, after all, and I loved him as well.

"Did Loki tell you where he would go afterward?"

"No," Thor said, straightening up. "But I think I know where. Get dressed and I'll take you to go meet the wizard."

* * *

"For the record," Doctor Strange said, sending me a sharp glare. "I'm not a travel agent."

I crossed my arms. "And I'm not a tourist. Shut up and show me my boyfriend, _wizard_."

Thor chuckled behind me. Strange glared at him too, but then made a circular motion with his ringed hand and a brilliant orange portal appeared in mid-air. I stared into it with wonderment. I saw a grassy cliffside, and an ocean. In front of it was a large, flat bolder, and upon it sat Loki.

I bit my bottom lip and stuck my hand into the portal. Cool sunlight, wind. It was real, not an illusion. Weird. I glanced at him. "Thanks, doc."

"Bye," he said frankly, and I rolled my eyes before stepping all the way into the portal. I squinted as the sunlight hit me full force and waited until I heard the thud of Thor's heavy boots in the grass before I walked forward towards the cliffside.

Once we were close, I held up my hand and glanced at Thor. He nodded and stayed behind.

Loki didn't look up when I sat next to him. He sat with his hands on his knees, eyes shut, a look of calm concentration on his features. He wore his battle armor. It was torn in places, and I saw bruises and cuts beneath the shredded cloth. None of them looked deep enough to be a cause for distress, but my stomach clenched at the thought of him being hurt for my sake.

"Nice spot," I said. "Very calm. I had thought you'd be floating on an iceberg somewhere."

He didn't answer. "Or in a strip club."

His lips twitched finally, but that was all I got out of him. "You owe me, by the way. The wizard is extremely obnoxious and we had to argue with him for twenty minutes to show us where you were. I mean, if you wanted a free trip to Norway, you could have just asked--"

"My father died here," Loki said quietly.

I shut my mouth in a hurry. "Oh. Sorry."

He shook his head slightly. "No, I didn't tell you in order to guilt you. That is why I returned. This spot has a significance to me. It was not an arbitrary choice."

"Why here?" I whispered. "If this is where Odin died."

"I feel closer to him in this spot than I did when he was alive."

I winced. I hadn't quite gotten the whole story, but Thor had filled me in on a great deal. To say that Odin was a shitty father was like saying John Winchester was a shitty father: understatement of the fucking century. It was likely the work of their mother, Frigga, that either of the sons of Odin turned out to be upstanding citizens, and hell, one of them had been a war criminal for a good part of his life.

Loki cocked his head slightly, not quite looking at me. "I assume the buffoon told on himself when you asked if he tried to stop me."

"Hey," I said in protest. "He had a reason, at least, which is more than I can say for you."

He flicked an annoyed look at me. "You felt as if what I did had no reason?"

"No, it didn't. Killing all those agents didn't turn back time and make me not get hurt, Loki. You endangered yourself and your reputation for nothing."

He stood then. "Nothing. That is what you think you are to me?"

I stood as well. "I'm a mortal woman, Loki. What did you think was going to happen in the end? I'd just magically stop aging and we'd be together forever? No. I'm an Avenger. I'm not going to die of old age. Even with Thanos defeated, there is probably some nasty punk out there with my death in his hands. You had to have known it was possible for me to die in battle someday, and yet this is your first response when I'm gravely injured? Mass murder?"

Loki clenched his teeth. "So now you sympathize with the bastards you were summarily killing yourself only a day ago?"

"No, Loki, it's not about the Hydra agents. They got what was coming to them." I stepped closer. "But it should not have been by your hand. Loki, I wanted you to have a life. To be happy. You may not like it here, but you have a home. Now, thanks to your fucking ego, it might all be gone now. If they find out you destroyed that base, they could come after you."

"Let them come," Loki snarled. "If they are such fools to try to bring me to justice for slaughtering a den of traitorous killers, then their system is just as corrupt as Hydra's."

"I told you, it's not about that!" I yelled. "Fuck Hydra. Fuck the government. You chose to destroy your life over me. Why? Why would you do that when you know it won't change what happened to me?"

He gripped my shoulders and dragged me to him, his breath suddenly quick and shallow, his voice deepened in rage. "This world and every being upon it mean nothing to me. In the grand scope of my lifetime, I have been here mere seconds. It is nothing to let it fall to ruin, for in another hundred years, mankind will hardly remember my name, even with my time with the so-called Avengers."

He shook me slightly. "But you are another matter entirely. I count every second that we have together because you are a mortal woman. Even with your abilities, I will outlive you by eons. For some unruly gang of misfits to almost have taken you from me..."

He gritted his teeth and shut his eyes. "It enraged me. Our time could have been cut short unjustly. So I made it my personal creed to kill every last one of those mongrels for what they put you through. For making me think for a single second that you were gone entirely too soon."

Loki's eyes reopened, and they damn near glowed at me in the sunlight. "You are right. You will die someday. I will mourn you. I will never recover from your loss, even as the centuries fall away. And Odin help the bastard that is foolish enough to kill you, for I will do things to him that shake the heavens from the sky and make the oceans boil. I want you to understand something."

He slipped his fingers around my throat. "If Thanos himself had his hand around your neck and told me to choose you or the universe...in any dimension, in any reality, in any time, I would choose you. I would not hesitate. In every place of the multiverse where you and I exist together, I am yours and you are mine. It is your burden as my beloved to bear the weight of that truth. I would kill hundreds. Thousands. Millions. It is nothing to me if it is in your name. That is what it is to love and be loved by Loki of Asgard."

He let his hand fall away and offered it to me, palm up. "If you cannot accept that, then there is nothing I can do. Love is not neat. Love is bloody. This is who I am. Can you make peace with it, darling?"

I stared at him, scarred and bruised and bloodied, handsome and noble and eloquent, cunning and cruel and crafty. I saw all the things that came together to make up the God of Mischief, Loki, son of Odin, rightful heir of Jotunheim. He had shown me everything, at long last. He had bared his soul to me. I could walk away from him if I wanted to. He'd given me an out, a free pass to another life.

Slowly, I took his hand. "As long as you make peace with the fact that I do care about this world and the people in it, and I will try every day of my life to make you see the value here, because it is more than just somewhere that I happen to live. And I love you enough to want you to be here long after I'm gone. You can be happy, Loki. You don't have to maim and destroy. There is beauty and peace in this place. Odin saw it. You will too. One day."

He searched my gaze intensely for a moment, and bowed his head to me. Then he laced our fingers together and the three of us left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NGL, this might be one of those times where I write the entire fic at once, at the rate I'm going. xD


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After retrieving Loki, Frosty deals with the consequences of her and Loki's actions.

The air in the compound after Thor, Loki, and I returned was so tense it was nearly stifling. Tony had texted me upon our return to have a meeting in the conference room, and he wanted Loki excluded. That didn't surprise me. After all, he had threatened all of them with dismemberment not to long ago and as a result, their alliance might as well have been in tatters.

I walked Loki to his suite and kissed him at the door. "Behave."

"I never behave," he sniffed.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Don't misbehave."

He smirked at me then. "Fair enough."

Loki stooped, kissed me, and then whispered, "Do not tarry."

The door whooshed shut behind him. Thor rejoined me and we went into the conference room together. Bless him for helping me get there. On my own, I hobbled at the pace of your average septuagenarian.

Thor gently lowered me into one of the giant leather chairs and sat beside me. Tony and Steve stood at the head of the table, our respective Avenger Mom and Dad team as it were. Steve had his hands in his pockets and he gave me a polite nod while Tony had his arms crossed and he gave me a small smile. This time, we had a guest--Rhodey stood to Tony's left, and he gave me a small wave.

"Welcome back," Steve said. "How'd it go?"

I twitched a shoulder. "About as expected."

He nodded. "I assume you know why we're here."

"To be our own version of the Senior Council and decide what to do with Butcher Pete."

Some of them snorted, Nat and Sam primarily. Tony stepped forward. "The Accords were amended, but they weren't dissolved. We were given the green-light to go into Berlin and break up that Hydra base, but we were supposed to do it quietly."

"To be fair," Sam said dryly. "That tank wasn't very quiet."

"I know things got loud," Tony admitted. "But they got deafening when Loki went and nuked that site. We're looking at a total loss."

He glanced at his best friend. "Rhodes."

"We had to send in covert Iron Legions to try and find any surviving surveillance," Rhodey said. "Luckily, we managed to beat the authorities there. FRIDAY, run the footage."

FRIDAY projected onto the wall behind them. From what I could tell, the footage had come from a vehicle of some sort, maybe a Jeep. It was nighttime, not long before dawn, as I could see touches of blue on the horizon. There were four vehicles rolling towards the border of the base surrounded by trees. Voices shouted in German and they opened fire on the dark figure. They suddenly skidded to a halt as something punctured their tires. The Hydra agents climbed out and opened fire. I counted twelve of them.

And Loki mowed through all twelve men in less than thirty seconds.

I swallowed hard as I watched him methodically slipping between them with liquid grace, slicing throats and impaling with an agility that was unmatched. He never hesitated, not once. He dropped the last man to the forest floor and then marched down the dirt path leading to the base.

The footage vanished. Rhodey gave me a steady stare. "Not exactly a stable teammate, wouldn't you say?"

"He was never stable," I said quietly. "Only tame."

"Be that as it may, miss, we have a problem here. If anyone gets wind of this, our asses are back in the fire. That means investigations and that means he could be locked up all over again. The deal we cut with him and Thor is that he stays on the straight and narrow. No improv."

Rhodey pointed to the ceiling. "That's some major fuckin' improv."

"Not everyone can react calmly and rationally to the love of their life nearly being murdered," Thor rumbled next to me, his expression calm, but his voice warm with anger. "Least of all Loki, who can count on one hand how many people he has ever loved in his lifetime."

"I was there," Steve said in a low voice. "Believe me, I know exactly what you mean. Sam had to pull me off of the one who took the shot. All things considered, I understand what Loki did."

He sighed. "But I can't condone it. What we do is a very fine balance between justice and vengeance. Last night wasn't justice. It was vengeance."

His eyes wandered to Tony for a brief second. "And that's not what we're about. We learned that the hard way."

"With all due respect," Natasha said. "I'm on Loki's side. Those men had their days numbered when they joined up with Hydra. Six feet under is better than what they deserve."

"No one's debating that," Tony replied. "But Loki can't run loose like this again. Ever. It's been enough time since New York that he's no longer a household name, but it hasn't been forever. The public can't see Asgardian royalty tearing people in half, even if they're Hydra scumbags."

He glanced at me. "You're right. He was never stable. A tame wolf is still a wolf. What we want to talk about today is what happens if that wolf takes another bite out of the sheep herd?"

I folded my hands and set them on the table. "Tony, if someone walked into your office this morning and shot Pepper point blank in the stomach, what would you do?"

His jaw twitched, but he didn't answer. I looked at Vision next. "Vis, what happened after Wanda was hurt at that airport in Germany?"

Vision held Wanda's hand, but said nothing as well. "I will never excuse Loki's behavior. Ever. I know what he is. I know who he is. He has done horrible things."

I paused, trying to put how I felt into words. "I just think this was one of the few where it wasn't for selfishness or pride or vanity. Loki's actions may seem the same as when he tried to take over New York, but they aren't. This was a horrifying display, but he did it because he thought it needed to be done. To wipe out a threat. To prevent these bastards from hurting someone else down the line."

I looked back at Tony, Steve, and Rhodey. "You are absolutely right to question him and me. Just not this time. His record has been clean since he got here, even after Thanos came. He stood with us then when he didn't have to. All I can do is ask you this one time to have faith in him. This was just a fluke. A crime of passion. It's not fair that I am his anchor to this world, but I am, and so I have to do my job to bring him back to shore. I was careless out there, and I am willing to pay the price for it."

"You shouldn't have to," Tony said.

"That's my choice."

He exhaled. "I guess it is."

"If you want him to go, that's fair. Just know that it's a package deal. I go where he goes. He goes where I go. Wolves mate for life."

"And," Thor chimed in. "Perhaps I am not a wolf, but I am his brother. He is the only family I have left. I will not lose him again."

Tony and Steve gave each other a significant look. "We'll take some time and think it over. Get back to you. For now, rest up."

Tony narrowed his eyes at me. "And I want you in the doctor's office at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow or I'm withholding your next paycheck."

I rolled my eyes and pushed to my feet. "Whatever you say, Iron Dad."

He sighed and hung his head. "Never going away."

Thor helped me back to Loki's room. I paused long enough to hug him. "Milady?" he asked.

"I'm still mad at you," I clarified. "But thanks for having my back in there."

Thor wrapped his arms around me. "And how long am I expected to endure this grudge?"

I thought about it. "A pair of new hiking boots or take your shirt off. Your choice."

He gave me that boisterous laugh of his before letting go. "Right. I fear you are too weak to enjoy the splendor of my muscles without fainting, so I suppose I'll have to get you new boots."

I pinched him before opening the door and walking inside. "Braggart."

The water in the master bathroom was on, which likely meant Loki was either taking a shower or about to take a shower. Well. Not even I could say no to a free peepshow.

Loki stood at the sink, his armor half-off, poking at scrapes and bruises. He healed rapidly, same as Thor, so in a manner of hours, he'd be back to normal. He spotted my slow progress towards him and a mixture of sympathy and worry slid over his face.

"How went the council of morons?" he asked dryly.

"Hey," I said crossly. "Those morons are my friends."

He rolled his eyes. I continued. "You won't be stoned to death. They're a hung jury at the moment on what to do with you."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "I'd be happy to hang them myself if they need any assistance."

"Loki, I get that you're angry that I got hurt in the field, but I'm not going to tolerate much more of that kind of talk. I care about these people. A lot. Don't be an asshole."

He glared at me, but then exhaled slowly. "You raise a fair point. They are easy targets for my anger. And what if they decide I am no longer welcome?"

"Then I guess it's moving day."

Loki eyed me. "You...would leave this place? With me?"

I arched an eyebrow. "I'm not into long distance relationships, Loki. If they boot you out, I'm coming with you."

He frowned. "But you..."

He shook his head slightly. "Darling, you love it here."

"Yeah, I do. But you made me love it here. It's not a home without you in it."

Loki stared at me, seeming breathless with shock. "I..."

He ran one hand through his hair and looked back into the mirror, picking up the tweezers to remove a shard of something from his side. I shooed his hand away and did it for him.

"Where shall we go?" he asked quietly.

I shrugged. "Ask Thor. He's also coming with us if we go."

Loki groaned, and I poked him in the non-injured part of his chest. "Stop that. He's your brother and he loves you as much as I do."

"Thor is also happy here," Loki said sourly. "There is no reason for him to abscond with us."

"Well, Asgard will eventually need a new permanent home anyway. Maybe it won't be so bad to find somewhere else to settle."

"It would be dangerous."

"We're superheroes, honeybunch. Everything we do is dangerous."

"Honeybunch," he repeated severely, and then he pinned me between his arms. "I do not like your Midgardian pet names."

"Grow a sense of humor, sourpuss." I finished inspecting the cuts and determined all were clean enough to withstand him bathing with them. "Shower. Now."

He sighed against my neck. "It is a shame you cannot join me, thanks to your injuries."

"No, but I can always be a creeper and watch you take a shower."

Loki chuckled. "How forward of you. You'll have me blushing soon, pet."

"You're the one who talked me into the Mile High Club and phone sex."

He kissed me. "I regret nothing."

I closed my eyes as he slipped his tongue past my lips. Mm. I'd missed this a lot. Apparently, so did he, because in less than a minute he had his hands underneath my yoga pants and I found myself fighting to remember that he was supposed to be showering right now.

"Mm, Loki," I mumbled drunkenly. "Can't have sex. There's a big gaping hole in my stomach."

"Not even if I am so very, very gentle with you?" he whispered.

"It only happened two days ago, you horny bastard," I said, trying my best not to laugh. “You can go a little longer without sex. I’m sure of it.”

"Hmm, you are probably right," he conceded. "Are you too sore for exquisitely slow, intimate oral sex, then?"

I paused. "...I mean, I'm willing to try it if you are."

Loki laughed. "And you call me the horny one."

"Blame your helmet."

He kissed me again. "On the bed, naughty little pet. I will join you shortly."

I beamed, gave him a playful smack on the ass, and scurried away before he could retaliate. I could hear him chuckle as I escaped and the sound warmed me down to my socks. It had been the first sign of humor and cheerfulness from him in the last few days. Loki needed to laugh every once in a while, and I teased him whenever possible.

I crawled into bed to wait for my serpent prince, but the evil softness of the mattress and the sinister fluffiness of the comforter lured me into a nap before I could resist. I blamed the painkillers, personally.

When I woke, Loki had climbed into bed behind me. He wasn’t often patient, but sometimes he could be, and while he was a horny bastard, he kept it within good taste. He must have felt me awaken; he nuzzled my neck and kissed my shoulder. I craned my neck and opened one eye, my voice haughty.

“Where’s my oral sex, mister?”

He chuckled. “Forgive me. I did not want to wake you. You have not rested enough since the ordeal.”

“Bah, I rested plenty while I was unconscious.”

Loki gave me a Look and I held up one hand in concession. “Sorry. You know me. I make jokes when I’m uncomfortable or trying to cope.”

“You are forgiven this time,” he said pompously, and then rolled me over to face him. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yeah, it’s sort of just numb.”

He studied me. “You have not let me see them yet.”

“See what?”

“Your scars,” he whispered.

My heart sped up significantly. “Oh.”

“That was not a demand,” he said softly. “Only a comment. Are you afraid to let me see them?”

“A little,” I mumbled. “I mean, I know you’re not with me strictly because of my looks, but it’s not pretty. And it’ll be like this for the foreseeable future. Do Asgardians scar?”

“If we fight a being strong enough or with enough magic, yes. I am sure you have seen Odin’s likenesses here on Midgard, and his eye did not regenerate. Superficial wounds heal, but some we cannot recover from even after centuries. It will be the same with Thor’s eye, although I admit he seemed to have taken its loss rather well.”

I smiled faintly. “Thor takes everything well, except losing family. That’s why I fuss at you so much. You guys have a history, yes, but I have never seen someone so devoted to loving their brother. But keep in mind, I am also an orphan.”

“You will probably never win me over onto your side, you know,” he said dryly.

“I know. But I’m always going to try anyway.”

“Why? Because you love him?”

“No. Because he’d do the same for me.”

“Mm. Clever diversion, but we are getting off subject.”

I sighed. “Right.”

“I will not press you if you are not ready to show me. I only worry for your state of mind.”

“No, it’s okay. You can look.”

Loki searched my gaze. “You are sure?”

“Nope. Not even a little bit.” I tried to smile. It probably looked awful.

Loki kissed my forehead. “My brave little mortal.”

He knelt over me and lifted my sweatshirt. My entire midsection was swathed in bandages. I had to change them a couple times a day, usually once in the morning and once before bed or when I bathed. I showed him where the bandage began and he unraveled it patiently. Beneath the strips of medical gauze were carefully placed Ace bandages as a second insurance against bleeding. It didn’t feel great when he peeled them off carefully, but as I’d said before, the entire area was basically numb.

Loki drew in a deep breath as his topaz eyes beheld the mess beneath my shirt. My skin had discolored everywhere surrounding the wounds. The outer edges behaved as if I’d been burned, so cracked scabs decorated the outside where the energy beam had hit. Stark’s brilliant design for my suit had saved my life. It had been made to withstand a lot, but the man who shot me hadn’t been that far, and proximity did factor into what my suit could repel. The doctors had stitched me back together, so the main scar was about three inches long across the center of my abs, and there were other spots that had second degree burns in the immediate area of the wound.

“By the Allfathers,” he whispered, running his hands down my sides. “Were your assailant not already dead, I would kill him again slowly enough that he would think it was a career. I am tempted to resurrect him just to kill him again for what he has done to you, my love.”

“That bad, huh?” I asked. My voice wavered, and I hated it.

“You are as beautiful as the day I met you,” Loki told me. “Scars and all.”

He touched them one by one, light as a feather, as if relearning my skin. “If anything, they make you more beautiful.”

I groaned. “I wasn’t fishing for compliments, you know.”

“I mean it,” he said softly. “These scars are a sign of your bravery. You were outnumbered and outgunned, yet you survived. Your perseverance is nothing short of beautiful.”

My throat tightened. “Flatterer.”

“I do not flatter. I only tell the truth as I see it. It is my prerogative as the God of Lies, after all, to decide when the truth is needed.”

His gaze softened on me. “And you need it now.”

He stooped over me, his soft, curling locks tickling my sides, and kissed each scar so gently that it brought tears to my eyes. I tried to wipe them away before he saw, but he was too quick; he caught my wrists and straddled me, holding them between our bodies.

“I love you,” I whispered hoarsely. “I love you so much, Loki.”

He smiled at me. “Scars and all?”

I smiled back. “Scars and all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I'm getting soft in my old age, aren't I?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frosty and Loki begin the healing process.

"Loki, that _tickles_."

I'll take "words I never thought would come out of my mouth" for $400, Alex.

To be fair, I also thought I'd never use the words "Loki" and "gentle" in the same sentence unless it was "Loki is quoting _Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night_ " and yet here I was. The God of Mischief did nothing in moderation, and so he'd taken my suggestion to be gentle with me rather seriously. I lay with my legs open and Loki knelt on the bed between them, bathing my inner thighs in the softest, lightest kisses I'd ever felt in my life.

He flicked an amused, borderline mischievous smirk up at me. "You said be gentle, did you not?"

"Not that gentle," I protested, squirming as he found a particularly ticklish spot over my femoral artery on my right thigh. "I'm sensitive, damn you."

"I know it all too well," he sighed wistfully, skipping a few inches until he reached the crease of my thigh. "It is one of your best qualities."

He licked the spot and I squirmed again, fighting the urge to wriggle out of his grip entirely and hide beneath the covers. The painkillers had deadened a lot of my nerves so I wouldn't feel the long, slow process of my body healing itself, but I still had feeling, and he was killing me. He edged closer to my opening, and I was already wet from his teasing, eager to feel something other than the numbness or pain I'd been feeling for the last few days, which was why he was taking his sweet time. Loki loved working me up.

Finally, he centered his attention on my outer walls, tracing their shape slowly, and it drew an undignified whimper from me as pleasure peeked through the veil of lethargy from the medicine. Loki sighed again and glanced up at my face. "Are you alright?"

I nodded too many times. "Keep going. Please."

He lifted my legs onto his shoulders and gripped my hips in his big hands, holding me still as he returned between my thighs. He took his time lapping at my petals, circling inward, until eventually he slipped his tongue inside me. I writhed on the bed as searing pleasure washed up my body, but then I flinched as my stomach twinged in discomfort as my spine arched. Loki felt me jerk against him and stopped, his brow wrinkling in worry.

"It's okay," I told him. "I'm fine."

He eyed me for a moment and then lifted his left hand. It glowed with a bright golden light and then floated down from around his fingers into my scarred skin. Warmth enveloped my tummy and my upper torso and then I felt the tight muscles slowly relaxing somewhat. Earlier, he'd asked me if I'd wanted him to heal me, but I'd told him I'd be alright without it. Human beings didn't always react so well to Asgardian magic, especially with someone as powerful as Loki, but he had just used part of his tactile magic rather than his healing magic on me. The tenseness disappeared from me entirely after a moment or two, and he tried again, this time drawing his tongue up over my slit until he reached my spot. I gasped in delight as the pleasure returned without the bite of the pain.

"Much better," Loki hummed, and then closed that hot mouth over my clit. I moaned and gripped the sheets underneath me, my head rolling back against the pillows as a spike of pure ecstasy raked through the center of my body. He angled two fingers inside me next and pushed them in just enough to fill me, but not too much. I mewled and couldn't help lifting my hips to accept more, but he clucked his tongue at me.

"Easy," he warned. "Do not rush. I will satisfy you, pet."

He fell into rhythm, swiping his tongue against my clit each time his fingers slid into me, so patient that I thought he'd drive me mad. Pleasure flowed over me as thick as honey, consuming me entirely, replacing the absence with delightful sensations. I stirred on the sheets restlessly with every minute as the ache at my center only sharpened.

"Loki, please," I whispered. "Please, Loki, I want to come."

"Patience."

I slid one hand into his dark hair and pressed up against his mouth. "Please, please, Loki."

He growled against my cunt and caught my hand, pinning it beside me. "I'll not tell you again, pet."

"Please," I whimpered, shaking all over. "I want to come for you, Loki."

"You are straining your body. Relax."

"But--"

"No," he said firmly, squeezing my wrist and halting his fingers. "Breathe. Calm your storm, little pet."

I made a frustrated noise, but I focused on his words and breathed steadily until the frantic roaring need for my climax died down again. Once he observed that I'd calmed, he resumed that careful, slow pace of his fingers slipping into my slick heat and his lips over my clit. Sweat beaded along my naked skin as he continued, never rushing me, his focus unshakable somehow. I felt my orgasm gradually welling up rather than rushing to the surface, and as much as I had wanted it before, I wanted it even more now that he'd forced me to be patient.

"That's it," he murmured as he heard my cries spilling from me once he'd eased me into my climax. "Good girl. Come for me. Take your pleasure."

After it swept me off into its tide, I went limp on the bed and didn't move a muscle for a while, completely intoxicated by nirvana. The world felt shinier somehow. I'd definitely needed this after the last few days I'd just had.

My eyes drifted open once I felt the mattress shift. Loki appeared above me, lips clean, observing me critically for any adverse reactions. "Are you well?"

"I'm dating you. I'll never be well."

He rolled his eyes. "I shall take that as a yes."

Loki kissed my forehead. "Rest."

I caught his arms before he could shift onto his side to hold me, licking my lips. "Can we..."

He frowned down at me. "You are gravely injured. It would not be a good idea."

"Look, I know I'm hurt, I just..." I bit my lower lip, trying to find the right words. "But...you were right. I could have been gone for good. It happened so fast for me that I haven't had time to think about it. And...I just...want to feel you. All of you. Just to remind me of what I still have."

Loki's eyes roved over my face for a long moment. "Did you just admit I was right?"

I rolled my eyes. "I swear to God, you are the most infuriating man in the entire universe."

He grinned. "Why, thank you."

He kissed me. "Even with the help of my magic, it is still unwise. Your wounds are fresh. We should wait."

I pursed my lips and then slipped my hand down his torso until I reached his silk pajama pants. "You say that, and yet..."

Loki exhaled as my hand brushed his hard cock through the cloth. "That does not invalidate my point."

"It doesn't, but it's still very persuasive." He didn't resist as I rubbed my palm against the shaft of his cock through the pants. His breathing elevated and his eyes fluttered shut.

"You are a very disobedient girl," he breathed, licking his lips. "I do not wish to hurt you any further."

"You didn't hurt me, Loki," I whispered back as I lifted up enough to kiss him. "You made me feel good. So good. You're the only one who makes me feel that way."

"Wicked pet," he moaned into my mouth. "How you bewitch me. I want to be good to you. We should not do this so soon."

I slipped my hand inside his pants and stroked him. He bit my lower lip and hissed something in Old Norse as my fingers wrapped around him. My ice magic had been running low on account of me being so hurt, but I had just enough left to cool my hand several degrees. Loki growled my name in a combination of protest and arousal.

"Please, Loki. I want to feel you."

"Damn you," he swore, his sea-green eyes flying open to glare down at me. "You know what it does to me when you beg."

He tore my hand away from his cock and shoved his pants to mid-thigh, crawling up enough to part my legs for him further. He kissed me deeply, tenderly, chasing after my tongue and capturing it until I was breathless beneath him. He wrapped one hand around my throat and broke away, holding me down so I couldn't reach up enough to kiss him.

"If you feel even an iota of pain, you will stop me, do you understand?" he ordered.

"Yes."

He narrowed his eyes further. "Promise me."

"I promise."

We stared at each other for a long, tension-filled moment before he eased his hand away from my neck and lowered it between our bodies. His intelligent, perceptive gaze burrowed into me, trying to read my expression as the tip of his cock nudged against my opening. He shifted enough to slide inside me one inch at a time, looking straight down into my soul the whole time. But it didn't hurt. Loki would kill for me, but he'd never hurt me.

I shivered from head to toe once his cock seated itself within me perfectly like poetry. All my senses awakened at once. I could smell his sweat and his musk and his aftershave. I could taste his skin on my lips and tongue. I could hear his rapid, excited breathing. I could see every inch of his flushed skin and his penetrating gaze. The man I loved was downright beautiful right now.

I wrapped my arms around him and drew him down to me again. I kissed him. I held nothing back. It was a moment I would never forget for the rest of my life.

"Home," I whispered against his lips. "I'm home, Loki."

He slipped his fingers into my hair and sighed gently. "Yes, you are, my darling."

Then he moved.

God. It was nearly indescribable. The glide of his cock into me. The way my body stretched to fit him and yet relaxed as if it had been waiting decades for this feeling of comfort, strength, and pleasure. It had only been days and yet I felt like it had been forever since I'd been with him this way. I craved him. I craved his touch, his sex, his protective nature, his infuriating attitude, his dangerous possession, his arrogance, his concern, his faith in me. It scared me how much I needed him. It scared me that I could lose him and he could lose me.

But we were in love. We'd gamble every day until we finally lost.

It didn't take long, not with how sensitive and emotionally raw I felt. In only a few minutes, I could barely breathe from just how phenomenal Loki felt to me. He kissed me on every odd breath, moaning low and deep in his chest, riding the rise and fall of my fragile body on the bed. He knew every inch of me by now, knew where I wanted him, how I wanted him, knew just the right spots to drive me crazy. I didn't try to hold back or suppress myself. Tears slipped from my eyes as he moaned my name to me as if I were the most precious thing in the universe.

"Yes, yes, yes, Loki, yes, please," I panted out, my nails sinking into his shoulder blades as he brought me closer and closer to paradise.

He stroked his free hand down my body until he reached my clit, his fingertips pressing gently to it and then forming a tight loop around it. "Come. Come for me, darling. Fall apart for me. Only me. You are everything."

I couldn't stand it any longer. I came undone at his bidding and flew across the finish line, taking him with me. I held on tight as the ecstasy made me slip my skin and float off into the ether. Loki followed me there and we stayed a while, just the two of us, idiots in love in spite of all odds.

Some indeterminable amount of time later, I languished in his arms. He'd rolled over to avoid landing his heavy frame on top of my still-tender body, and ran his fingers through my hair while I listened to his heart beat against my cheek. Neither of us said a word. We didn't need to and that was just fine with me.

* * *

"You're not off the team," Tony said.

"Oh, joy," Loki deadpanned. "I was going to be so crushed and devastated if that were the case."

I elbowed him in the side. It hurt me more than it hurt him, but that wasn't the point.

Tony made a point to roll his eyes as hard as possible. "Despite the fact that you broke our agreement, those were extenuating circumstances and all of us could understand you going off script to that magnitude over Frosty. She's our snow gal. Anyone hurts our snow gal and they're going down, hard, with extreme prejudice."

Tony's gaze hardened on Loki. "That being said, you understand that this cannot happen again. Frosty's a grown woman. She can handle herself. Given the nature of what we do, she is likely to get hurt again, but we can't have you nuking whoever happens to be the trigger man. Normally, we operate on a three strikes kind of situation, but you're a god, as you delight in reminding us, so you don't get the same set of rules. You screw up again and you're out."

He glanced at me and his expression softened significantly. "As much as I hate the idea of losing you, kid. I'd ask you to reconsider, but well, he's your lobster. You gotta do what you gotta do."

I nodded. It had taken a lot out of him to admit as much. Tony was a mostly sane human being, so he in no way condoned my relationship with the God of Mischief, but he had reached a point of accepting it, and it made me way happier than it should have to receive his respect despite the disagreement. "Thanks, Tony. It's been an honor. I hope it never comes to that, but if it does, I just want you to know that I'm grateful for what you've all done for me."

He smiled a little. "You've done a lot for us too, kiddo. Feeling's mutual."

Tony nodded towards the door to the conference room. "Now skidaddle. You've got a doctor's appointment. I assume Tall, Dark, and Broody can escort you."

"Yes," Loki said, smiling down at me and batting his lashes, a picture of innocence. "Shall we take the Quinjet?"

"NO!" I shouted, and Tony gave me a bewildered look. I hastily tried to cover it up. "Um, no, we can just take Tony's jet if that's alright with you."

He eyed me. "Yeah, it's fine. You okay, Frosty?"

Loki linked our fingers together and gave me an affectionate kiss on the top of my head. I blushed furiously and squeaked, "Never better."

"Loki..." Tony said, glaring. "What did you do to my Quinjet?"

"I did absolutely nothing..." He paused, and then smirked. "...to the Quinjet."

He tugged me by the hand towards the door. "Come along, darling."

Just as we left, I heard Tony say, "FRIDAY, run the Quinjet's log for their morning trip last week."

By the time we reached the elevator, Stark bellowed, "LOKI!"

I buried my face in one hand. "Kill me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's all she wrote for now, folks. But don't worry. You know I won't leave you hanging for the Mile High Club Noodle Incident with Frosty and Loki, so be on the lookout for that eventually. >3


	6. Bonus chapter: Loki

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bonus chapter of Loki's conversation with Thor before he leveled the Hydra base, and an extra scene that takes place after the previous chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was inspired partially by boredom and partially by my interest in practicing writing in Loki's voice. We'll see how well it works out, I guess.

As an immortal, the concept of death is no stranger to me.

And yet here I lay with the woman I loved in my arms, shaken to my very core that it had nearly taken her away from me too soon.

I had not felt it in quite some time. Fear. Not since Hela. Even then, I feared for my own safety, and my brother’s to some degree. I would never admit it aloud, but it was easier to deal with on the battlefield at his side. Thor was a lot of things—a bumbling idiot, first and foremost—but he was a warrior in every sense of the word, and I knew that he would die before he let anything happen to me or the people of Asgard. Hela’s ravenous desire for conquest and death was all but bottomless, and I feared she would devour everything in her path and leave the universe empty and dark.

I had not loved anything since my mother, Frigga. And just as life always does with the few things that I care for, it took her away from me. And it was my own doing. I regret almost nothing I have done in my lifetime, but my mother’s death would never leave me. It was a scar that would never heal. I did not deserve to heal it. I was unforgivable in my selfishness and hatred for Odin, and I would live with that terrible guilt until the end of days. I did not deserve to bask in the sunlight of love like my brother did.

And yet I fell in love anyway.

My attention returned to the woman as she stirred in my arms. She made a small noise in her sleep, one of discomfort, maybe thanks to the wound on her belly. I stroked her arm and she fell silent again. I lowered my hand to hover just above her stomach and shut my eyes. I let my magic roll through me like a warm wave and reached into her life force. It felt…troubled, but steady. She was no longer at death’s door, but it had certainly touched her. Death was cold. It was ironic that it could leave that sensation on a woman who wielded ice magic, and normally I would find it amusing, but not this time. Not when its claws had torn a chunk of her existence away when she’d been shot and nearly killed.

By Hydra.

My body tightened and tensed with renewed rage. I fought it down and let my healing magic drift down into her. It was nearly imperceptible, but my beloved sighed gently in relief. I relaxed and resumed holding her until I was sure she was completely asleep.

Then I did one of the hardest things I’d ever done recently.

I let her go.

My beloved slept like the dead. I had learned long ago that I could slip out from under her grasp and move about freely without waking her. I moved slowly, carefully, and she curled around my pillow, burying her nose in it as if trying to catch my scent. I almost smiled. I logged that image away for later, the idea that she longed for me even without realizing it.

I tucked the comforter in around her, made sure she had enough of that Midgardian medicine that would stave off her pain when she woke, and then summoned my battle armor to me. As I turned from the bed where she lay, there was only one thing on my mind.

Vengeance.

Every last pathetic creature in that base would perish by my hand. Slowly, if I could manage it.

The Avengers compound was dead silent as I exited the suite in the cover of darkness. It wasn’t hard to throw up a concealment spell as I headed for the hangar.

Unfortunately, though, I wasn’t alone when I arrived.

Thor sat upon a heavy case of supplies several feet away from the Quinjet. Though I knew the concealment spell was still up around me, he somehow looked me dead in the eye and acknowledged me with a very quiet, “Brother.”

I gritted my teeth and dropped the spell. “You are becoming irritatingly good at that.”

A brief smirk flicked across his mouth. “You do learn things over time.”

I snorted. “It only took you five hundred years.”

The smirk widened. “Aye, I’m a fast learner.”

Then he let it fade. “I know what you mean to do, Loki.”

I rolled my shoulders and let my magic spill through me freely. “Do you, now?”

He nodded. “Fly to the base and strike down every last one of them for hurting her.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “And you mean to stop me?”

Thor sighed. “Loki, it will not undo what was done to her.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I spat. He winced at the heat in my tone. “Unless you would like to find that bloody magician and get the Time Stone, no, it will not undo what was done to her.”

“Then why?” he asked. “Why take this risk? You know it will only displease her. Worry her.”

Thor’s expression darkened. “Hurt her.”

I stalked closer to him. “Do not pretend to know or assume her feelings.”

He stood then and squared his shoulders, clasping his hand over one wrist. “I assume nothing. She loves you, Loki. She would not want you to risk your life in the name of revenge.”

I let out a derisive laugh. “I thought we were the Revengers, Thor. Is that not our business?”

His single eye flickered with an intense light. “Do not joke to me right now, brother. Your actions could result in a war. Worse still, you could be killed and leave her behind to grieve you.”

“A single nest of Midgardian traitors is no match for the God of Mischief. You know this. And if these blundering fools wish to consider my actions a declaration of warfare, then they will have it. I will slaughter them in droves if they are so intent on carrying out their idiotic wills.”

“And what good will it do you once it is done?” he challenged. “Will you feel some sense of satisfaction with your hands as bloody as they were in New York?”

I summoned a dagger. My voice came out a ragged whisper. “Do not dare bring that up to me again, brother.”

“Then be a better man than you were then,” he shot back. “I know you are a better man than this, Loki. This slaughter will result in nothing but causing the Midgardians to question you, and I did not go through the pain of bringing you here only to let you endanger yourself even further.”

“You are not my keeper!” I roared. “If you mean to keep me here, then you will only succeed if you kill me.”

Thor flinched as if I’d stabbed him through the chest. Disbelief flooded his face. “Loki, I…I would never…”

He shut his eye for a second and breathed deeply. “I would never harm you. Not again. We have been through too much together.”

Something in my chest stung sharply. I ignored it. “Sentimental fool.”

He gave me a sad smile. “Perhaps I am. I do not want you to see you throw your life away. I want you to turn around and get back in bed with that sweet girl you love so dearly. I want you to find some degree of happiness for once in your life. Maybe you feel as if you do not deserve it, but you do. She loves you. Why are you so willing to sacrifice that in the name of revenge?”

“You would not understand,” I snarled, and brushed past him. He grabbed my arm, and I twisted, laying the blade of the dagger against his throat. He didn’t move again; just kept holding my arm. He stared at me from inches away, and did not bother protecting himself.

“Do it,” he said quietly. “You have threatened to a thousand times for a thousand years, after all. Kill me. I will not stop you.”

I was breathing too hard and too fast. His words rattled me. Years ago, they would not have, and yet…

I hissed and snatched my arm from his grip, shoving him away from me. We stared at each other for a few caustic seconds. I closed my eyes briefly and calmed my storm as much as I could. There was really only one way out of this.

“What happened when the soldier told you of her injuries? What did you do, Thor?”

His hands balled into fists. “That’s not—”

“What. Did. You. _Do?_ ”

Thor gritted his teeth before answering. “I punched a crater into the ground.”

“Exactly,” I said. “And I know you, brother. I assume either the soldier or the murderess talked you out of flying there yourself to kill the lot of them. You are a hypocrite, Odinson. You do not value their lives any more than I do.”

He didn’t try to defend himself. We both knew the truth. Thor loved her. He loved her in a different fashion than I did; not love born of lust and attraction, but born of companionship. Nevertheless it was still true. Thor would crush the heavens between his hands if it meant saving someone he loved.

“But,” I continued. “You are Thor, God of Thunder, to these Midgardians. You give them hope. You grant them peace of mind. It is not your place to bloody your hands in her name. It is mine. You will let me have this, Odinson. If nothing else, you owe me this one thing.”

He stared at me for a long time, and then whispered, “Damn you, Loki.”

I gave him a thin smile. “Too late, brother.”

He gripped my shoulder hard in his hand. “Allfathers damn us both, for we are fools. If it must be this way, then so be it. Just promise that you will survive it and come home to us.”

“Home,” I repeated absently. “Is that what you consider this place?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “The Midgardians have a saying that home is where the heart is.”

Thor paused and glanced in the direction of the barracks. “And she is your heart. Fight well, brother.”

He squeezed and then let me go, striding away without looking back. I continued forward onto the Quinjet to unleash hell in the name of love.

For what other reason do men go to war?

* * *

“You can’t go in with me.”

I turned to my woman and arched an eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?”

She set her jaw and repeated, “You can’t go in with me, Loki.”

I eyed her. “If this is a prank, congratulations, I do not understand.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s not a prank; it’s a precaution. You’re already all over me like a protective wolf. You’re going to question every single part of the exam, and that’ll just make it take longer. So be a good demigod and wait out here in the lobby until it’s over.”

I clenched my hands into fists. “Mortal woman—”

“Immortal man,” she shot back, hands on her hips, steel in her gaze. “Park your pale butt in a chair. It won’t take long. Barely half an hour, if that, alright?”

“But—”

She clapped her hand over my mouth. I glared. She softened her expression into a smile. “Really, Loki. It’s just a physical. I’m in no danger, I promise, and I don’t want you to be upset. Stay here.”

She lowered her hand, lifted up on her tiptoes, and kissed me. Then she limped into the door the nurse held open for her and disappeared.

My gut twisted. I flexed my fingers open and closed, clenching my jaw. I could take that door apart. Demand to be let in. But it would raise a fuss. This was not a normal place of medical practice. Stark had contacted one of the best doctors he knew and had footed the bill for any exams and treatments she would receive. The God of Mischief tearing the office asunder would land me in further trouble with my beloved, so after a contemplative minute or so, I began to pace instead. After all, it gave me something to do with myself instead of stomping in there and demanding she let me watch over her.

She had an early appointment, so there were no other patients yet. It wasn’t until the twenty-fifth minute that someone appeared: a frail old woman with a cane. She checked in for her appointment and then took a seat by the door. I did not halt my pacing. The newcomer was of no importance.

I heard crinkling a moment later. She’d opened some sort of wrapper and popped a confectionary treat into her mouth.

Then she spoke. “Candy?”

“No,” I said, without facing her. “I do not like sweets.”

“You look like you could use some,” she said in a sly tone. I cast a quick glare at her on my next tight loop of the lobby. “You look stressed.”

“It is of no consequence to you.”

The old woman shrugged and put the treat back in her purse. “True. Just thought maybe it would take your mind off your lady.”

I eyed her. “How do you know it is a lady that I wait upon?”

She smiled, eyes gleaming. “Oh, it’s all over your face, young man.”

I scowled. I did not like the idea of a mere mortal being able to read me that well. “I could be fretting over a family member.”

She smacked her lips a bit as she shifted the candy to a different side of her mouth. “You could, but you have the look of a man in love.”

I snorted. “Oh? What does that look like?”

“Walking in circles. Just like you are now.”

I finally came to a stop across from her. “So you are a fortune teller, then? What else would you like to pester me about, old woman?”

She laughed. “Wow, you’re a charmer. She’s a lucky girl, isn’t she?”

“She is,” I deadpanned. “Now is there any chance you will leave me be?”

“I’m only teasing, young man,” she tutted. “But I’ll stop if it bothers you that much. Still, though. She’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry so much.”

She eyed me then. “Not unless you think she’s pregnant.”

I choked on air. “I beg your _bloody_ pardon?”

The old woman covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking, giggles leaking out from behind her fingers. “Oh, my. Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“ _Pregnant?”_ I seethed. “You think she is pregnant? She was shot in the stomach, you meddlesome woman, not impregnated.”

“I shouldn’t have said that,” she conceded, holding out one hand in a placating gesture. “I apologize.”

“Pregnant,” I growled indignantly, raking fallen hair out of my face as I resumed pacing. “Bloody Midgardians and your bloody idle gossip.”

Mercifully, the door popped open and my woman appeared. Her hair was a little mussed, but she didn’t seem hurt or any more uncomfortable than she had been due to the extent of her injuries. However, she took one look at me and immediately asked, “Whoa, what happened to you?”

“Nothing,” I spat. “Let us leave this place.”

She eyed me, then greeted the old woman cordially, and turned to the counter to sign the remaining paperwork. A nurse beckoned the old woman and she pushed to her feet.

“It was nice meeting you, young man,” she said, and then bloody winked at me before the door closed behind her. Mortals.

I took my beloved to the limousine and carefully lowered her inside it before it pulled away from the curb.

“Do you want to grab lunch before we get back on the plane?” she asked, her fingers skimming over the surface of her mobile device, presumably to let the team know she was fine.

“I’m not hungry. What did the doctor say?”

“Nothing I didn’t already know,” she sighed. “It was just to keep Tony off my back. He worries.”

“You were shot in the stomach and nearly died,” I said dryly. “And Stark illogically considers himself your surrogate father. Of course he worries.”

She snorted. “Wow, hearing you say that out loud must mean it’s true.”

“True enough.”

She eyed me again and poked my knee. “So what’s the matter with you?”

“There is nothing the matter with me.”

“Your face is red.”

I crossed my arms and scowled as I stared out the window. “You are imagining things.”

“You really are the God of Lies, aren’t you?” she said dryly. “I take it you got into it with the little old lady in the lobby, then.”

“I did not get into anything,” I grumbled. “She made a disturbing remark.”

“Which was?”

I scowled harder. “None of your concern, pet.”

“If it bothered you this much, it should concern me.” She poked me again. “Out with it, Loki.”

“Touch me again and I will bite your finger off.”

 _Poke, poke, poke_ went her finger. “Confess.”

I glanced at her and then closed my teeth in a sharp click, imitating a bite. “Oh, please, if you haven’t killed me by now, you’re not going to kill me at all. Now tell me what the old lady said.”

“Nothing, you irritating chore of a woman.”

She peered up into my face. I gave her nothing. She nodded slightly. “She thought you gave me an STD, didn’t she?”

I threw up my hands. “For Norn’s sake, woman, she thought you were pregnant!”

Her jaw dropped. She gaped for a second and then shut her mouth. “Oh.”

I sighed and rubbed my sinuses. “You are going to put me in an early grave.”

“Oh, shut it,” she grumbled. “And no wonder your face was red. I guess we haven’t ever…had a conversation about… _that_ …have we?”

“No,” I said quietly. “We have not.”

Awkward silence descended over the inside of the limousine. She twiddled her thumbs. “Do you…want me to go first?”

“I do not wish to discuss this with you.”

She bit her bottom lip. “Right now or at all?”

I glanced at her in surprise. She wouldn’t look at me, instead studying her hands. My heart throbbed painfully. She was…afraid. How strange. There were very few things I could name that scared her.

“Darling,” I said softly, reaching out and taking one of her hands. “I did not mean it that way. I am agitated. I did not want to think of something like this so soon after I nearly lost you. If you wish me to hear what you think about…”

My throat tightened. “…offspring, please, speak your mind.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said. “I’m not entirely ready to talk about it either. I just didn’t want you to bottle it up like you do sometimes when you’re stressed out.”

“But,” I said. “You have thought about it, yes?”

She blushed. “Um, yes, a little bit. Only after Thor teases me, though.”

I licked my lips. “Is that something you want?”

“I have no idea,” she whispered. “At all. I mean, hell, I’ve only had a family for a hot second. I can’t even consider the notion of…expanding it.”

She squeezed my hand. “But it’s okay, I’m not trying to pressure you into an answer anytime soon, trust me. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “The woman was shot in the stomach, and yet she asks if I am okay.”

“That’s just how I roll, God of Mischief,” she said, and then she kissed me. “Are you okay?”

“No,” I told her honestly, and then leaned my forehead against hers. “But I will be.”

I ran my thumb over her knuckles. “And though I am unready to discuss the possibility of offspring, I can say that you need not fear anything. If it were to happen, I think you would make an exceptional mother. The only doubts that I have are about myself, and this world that we live in. Even with Thanos defeated, there are always monsters lurking in the darkness. I am unsure if it would be wise to bring a child into a world this chaotic.”

“Tell me about it,” she agreed. “And thank you. And you’re an idiot.”

I frowned at her. She smiled. “You’d be an amazing father. Know how I know that?”

“How?” I asked with the utmost sarcasm.

“Because you know exactly what _not_ to do thanks to Odin,” she said, her voice somewhere between both amused and bemused. “Odin was a terrible father. Not to disgrace the dead, but if he were still alive, I would punch him right in his remaining working eyeball.”

I laughed. There were very few people who could get me to do that, but she was one of them, and for good reason. The mental picture of my beloved striding up to my father and belting him with all her strength was possibly one of the best things my imagination could summon.

She waited until I finished laughing before continuing. “You would know exactly the kind of things to do to be a good father to our hypothetical child. Even with you being an ornery, violent borderline sociopath. You’re a different man than you were when you first came here.”

She stroked the back of my hand. “You are also your mother’s son. You’re thoughtful and strong and protective of those that you care about. So I’m not worried about you at all.”

Something stirred in my chest as I met her gaze. She was a living marvel, this mortal. “Thank you.”

I kissed her gently. I waited until she sighed happily before I spoke again. “But just to be safe, you are still on birth control, yes?”

She laughed. “Please, I’ve been on birth control since three months before I moved into the Avengers compound. Before I met you, I was intent on banging Thor.”

Growling, I pinned her to the seat behind her while she giggled. “Oh, you are going to _pay_ for that remark, pet.”

She looped her arms around my neck and waggled her brows. “I’m counting on it, God of Mischief.”

 


End file.
